The invention relates to a soft top vehicle roof with a sealing element wherein the soft top vehicle roof material is supported by a support linkage and is movable between closed and open positions, the sealing element and the soft cover material being engaged together by a part of the support linkage.
Such vehicle soft top roofs include a movable rooftop support linkage and a roof cover material which is tensioned over, and supported by the support linkage. The roof can be moved between a closed position in which a front roof yoke of the roof linkage is locked to a windshield frame and an open storage position in which the soft top is deposited in a rear storage compartment. In order to provide, in the closed position of the roof, for a water-and wind-tight connection between the side windows and the roof section framing the upper and side edges of the side windows, sealing elements are provided which are firmly connected to the roof and which are engaged by the adjacent edges of the side windows when the windows are closed. Generally, the seal elements are screwed to the respective linkage components at a plurality of screw locations distributed over the length of the seal element so as to provide for a secure connection of the seal element to the vehicle roof.
Care must be taken in such arrangements that stresses on the seal elements caused by the opening and closing of the roof or by the operation of the side windows will not result in damages to the seal elements by causing fractures for example. In the area of the screw connections point-like loads are effective on the seal element which cause local stress peaks that generally increase the danger for damage. The screw connections also result in relatively high assembly expenses.
A similar seal element is also disclosed in the printed publication DE 198 01 870 A1. In this case, a profiled rail is incorporated into the seal element which improves the load carrying capability of the seal element and which results particularly in a uniform area loading of the seal material when screwed to the roof part. In this arrangement, the local stresses are reduced but, because of the screw connections, the mounting of the sealing element to the respective roof part is still time-consuming and expensive.
It is furthermore pointed out that, in a soft top roof, the roof cover material must also be connected to the side areas of the roof. Care must be taken that the connections for the roof cover material and the seal elements do not interfere. Also, the mounting of the roof cover material involves substantial mounting efforts and expenses.
DE 30 29 765 A1 discloses an arrangement wherein a seal element cooperating with a side window is form-fittingly supported in a linkage component of the vehicle roof. The sealing element is clamped in a reception space which is formed by side walls having inwardly bent front edges which extend into grooves formed correspondingly in the seal element so that half of the seal element is contained in the reception space and half projects from the reception space. This seal element basically does not require a screw connection. However, the efforts and expenses for the mounting of the vehicle roof cover material are not reduced thereby.
DE 42 28 184 C1 discloses an arrangement wherein the vehicle roof cover material of a soft top vehicle roof is connected to a linkage part of the roof linkage by means of profile rail and a seal element. The linkage part has two ledges facing each other and delimiting a reception space into which a portion of the seal element extends when the seal element is mounted to the linkage part. The roof cover material is cemented onto the profile rail, which extends in a form-fitting manner into the area behind one of the ledges. The seal element is provided with recesses corresponding to the ledges to facilitate the installation of the seal element in the reception space and provide for a form-fitting engagement of the seal. When the seal is mounted, the profile rail is biased by the seal element into engagement with the respective ledge and in this way is retained by the ledge in a form-locking manner.
DE 42 28 184 C1 discloses an arrangement wherein the seal element is profiled and engages and retains a profiled rail including the roof cover material connected thereto over a certain length. In order to safely prevent the unintended release of the profile rail and or the seal, it is necessary that the ledges on the linkage part extend far into recesses in the seal portion received in the reception space whereby however the mounting of the seal element becomes substantially more difficult.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a soft top vehicle roof with a seal element whereby the roof cover material as well as the seal element can be connected to the respective roof part with relatively small efforts and mounting expenses. Expediently, the stresses effective on the roof cover material and the seal element resulting from the connection to the vehicle roof part should be as small as possible.